


Splash Free

by orphan_account



Category: Free!
Genre: I meant for it to be different but then I changed some things and it ended up being kind of weird, M/M, Merry Christmas sweetie~, Sharkbait Secret Santa, ahhhh I hope you like it, arghhh, pffft I'm turning this in last minute just like I do with everything, shit I think the spacing got fucked up, shit I'm sorry the ending got screwed up somehow, sorrrrryyyy -.-, sorry if it's weird ahhh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-26
Updated: 2013-12-26
Packaged: 2018-01-06 01:10:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1100681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>my take on the ED AU (w/ extra harurin thrown in heheh)</p><p>Merry Christmas and hope you enjoy it~</p>
            </blockquote>





	Splash Free

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kougyokuren](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=kougyokuren).



Hot.

 

It was so hot.

 

What was he doing here? Why had he come here? Where even was here? Haru couldn’t remember.

 

A dry, huffing exhale, something a little too painful to be a sigh, pushed through his lungs, his hand lightly tugging on the camel’s leading rope as he continued forward. His eyes were tired, they were dry, they could barely move; yet they must be moving, since suddenly he was looking down.

 

 _Black…pants?  
_

 _Oh…_

 _They’re…moving…_

 _They’re…mine…_

Haru watched as his feet sunk and rose in the sand, seeming to move by their own will.

 _Why do you keep moving?_

 

His eyebrows scrunched together a little as he silently questioned his feet. Everything felt so hazy, like it was all melting together in the heat of the desert. His thoughts swirled and flickered in his mind’s eye as he pulled the camel along at a steady pace.

 

What was he doing here?

 

That question floated through the strange haze of his mind again, barely registering in his consciousness as a strange echo trailed after it. Haru grimaced, his eyes narrowing a little more as he tried to focus on that echo.

 

It felt… familiar. Nostalgic. Important. Something he had to catch before it got away.

 

Outwardly, Haruka’s movements didn’t change, but inside, he ran. His soul chased the echo, running as fast as it could. He could feel it moving farther away, and reached out a mental arm, his fingers just barely brushing it-

 _Rin._

 

Haru’s eyes would’ve widened if they hadn’t been so tired.

 

He pushed himself, moving even faster, grasping for just one more glimpse of that echo in his mind. His hand hit the warm light rushing in front of him, grabbing onto it for a second, and suddenly he saw.

 

There. Rin. 

 

Haru could barely see him, his face obscured by the water swirling in the glass he held, but he saw. Sharp, shark-like teeth peeked through his grin, a few strands of familiar red hair falling into the middle of his face. He thought he could hear Rin laughing, his voice faintly piercing the echo as he murmured words to low to hear. Haru tried to swallow, tried to make his mouth move, tried to say _something_ , but- 

 

Just like that, the vision was gone.

 

It wasn’t until Haru finally did manage to swallow and rid himself of the lump in his throat that he realized how thirsty he was.

 

Suddenly, the thirst was inescapable, the pain rushing in on him from all sides as he realized just how hot and dried out it was, how hot and dried out _he_ was. The sheer force of the realization was almost enough to bring him to his knees.

 

Haru steadied himself, leaning onto his camel without breaking stride, calmly chanting inside his head.

 _Don’t think about it. Don’t think about it. Don't think about it. What was it that Makoto always used to say?_

 _Hmm…. Makoto…._

 

Haru knew his feet were still moving, knew where he really was, and yet he remained completely unfazed as the desert before him slowly morphed into a city. The city he’d known as home for almost as long as he could remember.

 

His eyes took in the small pottery shop and the worn out street signs he knew weren’t really there. This was… the west end. Makoto’s shop wasn’t too far if he took the shortcut behind the bakery up ahead. Haru walked on, trying to forget his thirst.

 

 _Makoto… Makoto knows how to fix this… he always knows how to help me with these kinds of problems…_

Haru’s mouth hung open a little, betraying his desperate need for water as he approached Makoto’s shop. Huh. That was fast. Had he even walked the full path? Haru shrugged off the slight confusion he felt as he approached the familiar, crooked old window. Mirages tended to take care of your problems for you, he reminded himself, especially if you knew where you were going.

 

Makoto looked up, smiling apologetically at Haru before he could say a word. He reached over and picked up the water jug that they often shared a drink from, upending it over the ledge as he shook his head.

 

Nothing.

 

Haru frowned and gave a slight nod, one that he knew Makoto would understand as thanks (not that it mattered anyway, since this wasn’t the _real_ Makoto, but it was a habit he’d learned through the years, and to break it, even for a fake Makoto, felt wrong somehow), turning and walking off down the street.

 

Okay. So Makoto couldn’t help him. But Nagisa could help, right? The mischievous little blond always had access to anything he wanted or needed, and often jumped at the chance to do something for ‘Haru-chan.’ 

 

Haru winced a little at the remembered nickname. He didn’t want to deal with Nagisa’s cutesy friendliness today; not when he was this thirsty. He could barely function, barely think, let alone deal with the emotional and physical onslaught that was Nagisa Hazuki. Hopefully the excitable little bird would calm down today and attend to Haru’s needs. He may tend to be over the top, but he’s been capable of handling delicate situations from time to time.

 

Nagisa looked up, and Haru opened his mouth to ask, but Nagisa only shook his head apologetically, just as Makoto had done. Haruka could feel his hope dying a little as Nagisa held up his open cantine and turned it upside-down.

 

Empty.

 

Haru’s shoulders sagged a little as he continued through the small marketplace. This was getting ridiculous. He had to find water, there had to be water _somewhere_. This was his mirage, wasn’t it? Weren’t mirages supposed to offer you comfort before you collapsed in the middle of the desert?

 

His pace picked up a little as he headed towards the outer walls of the palace. His eyes flitted up to the sky for a moment, getting the briefest glimpse of the sun. It was nearly reaching its peak in the sky. Good. Rei’s shift would be starting just about now, and Haru could catch him before he drank all of his water. Haru willed himself to go faster, but faltered when his vision of the city suddenly blurred at the edges.

 

Oh. Right. He’d begun to forget that it was a mirage, believing he could control it and himself in it the way he would in real life. He’d already forgotten his real feet, moving at an automatic pace across the dunes, the only things keeping him going for whatever reason they did at this moment.  And he needed to _not_ disrupt that. Haru exhaled slowly, forcing himself to calm down a little as he continued on in the mirage at its set pace. This was getting really bad. He had to find a solution to this thirst before the mirage overtook him.

 

Before he knew it, Haruka had rounded a corner and ended up at the long stretch of wall where most standard guard posts stood outside the palace. 

 

 _Rei?_  

 

Haru’s black slippers sent up little puffs of dust as he scanned the line of guards. Rei’s shift should’ve started not too long ago, he should be here.

 

 _Rei, you’ve got to be here. I need your help._

It was just then that Haru’s eyes locked onto the familiar red glasses.

 

With baited breath, he strode over to Rei. This was his last chance. If he couldn't find some solution to his thirst, some strength to go on supplied by this hallucination, what would become of him? Haru felt his legs weaken a little at the mere thought, images of bleached white bone embedded in sand flashing through his mind.

 

 _No, stop thinking like that. Rei is here, he's right there, he can help. Rei-_

 

Rei stood up a little straighter as his eyes connected with Haru's. His face softened slightly with sympathy as he reached for his canteen.

 

 _No. Please, don't tell me-_

 

It was empty. Like all the others. Rei shook his head apologetically as he rattled the empty skein. No water anywhere. None of his friends could help him.

 

Haru's eye twitched a little as the mirage seemed to solidify. His head felt heavy. Why was this happening? Why did no one have the peace he needed? Water can't be that hard to come by. Everyone had access to a little water, or at least his friends usually did. Actually, the amount of water in their town, in all towns in their kingdom, was regulated and controlled by...

 

Haruka flinched, turning his head away slightly as the mirage shimmered and came back as a new place. The lighting was dimmer; he was inside now. His eyes could barely take in any of the splendor of this inner palace chamber before the main attraction caught his attention. Haru nearly whimpered aloud as the familiar red hair bobbed in front of him.

 _Rin._

 

There he was, regal and handsome on his throne, grinning as two faceless servants poured water into his hands. It was so clear and crisp; Haru could almost feel the cooling relief of it as he watched it slip through Rin's hands. Almost.

 

 _Water._

 

Haru stumbled over his own feet, clutching his throat and holding back the painful whines he could feel building up in his empty stomach. He couldn't even bring himself to be angry that it was being poured away so carelessly in front of him, that's how terrible the thirst was. He wanted the water _so badly_. And then, on top of that, was Rin.

 

Rin's presence was a twist of the knife and a reviving elixir all at the same time; his laugh, carefree and happy, cut into Haru as he slipped some water onto his hand, into his hair. Haru felt the way it hurt and healed his heart, felt the way all reasonable thinking slowly started to fly out the window.

 

 _Rin. Water._

 _Rin. Water._

 _Give me Rin. Give me water._

 _Give me water, Rin._

 _Give me what I need to move forward.  
_

 _I... I need...  
_

Rin's knowing smile (he _knew_ ) widened as he grabbed a small bowl, scooping up some of the water. This was it. Haru's hand slid down from his throat and landed limply at his side. The relief would come. Rin would give him peace. Rin would give him what he needed.

 

Haru felt a static apprehension pulse through him as the mirage flickered in and out of existence before him. This was good, ridding himself of this mirage was good, Rin and all the other hallucinations disappearing was-

 

Haru flinched, gasping a little as the water hit his face. His eyes cracked open, slowly, his narrow view of the ground blurry. A warm breeze tossed the few strands of hair covering his forehead into his vision, and his eyes finally took in the full view. The mirage was gone. Only a seemingly endless expanse of sand stretched before him.

 

Right.

 

New determination burned within Haru and fueled his march onward. There was no way he was stopping now.

 

Time seemed to pass strangely after that, the days and nights blending together in one long trip as he went farther into the desert. The world could've turned upside-down, could've been tilted on its side, and he still wouldn't have been deterred. All that mattered was the journey ahead of him.

 

Memories engulfed Haru and left him untouched at the same time. Somewhere, in the back of his mind, he heard a young boy's voice, two kinds of laughter and the splash of running water as they played together in a fountain. He felt but did not see the satisfied grin of the winner of some game, tasted but could not feel the light press of lips on his own as the winner took his prize. A dark, almost purplish red flowed throughout it all, seeping into the edge of his senses. This red filled everything, even the sound of the boy's voice as he vowed to meet again, no matter what. Haruka experienced none of this, but he felt it there, he knew it was there, the simple presence of these memories overflowing from the subconscious prison he'd shoved them in with enough force to give him a will to go on. 

 

He considered _actually_ thinking about them, letting the memories wash over him as he went on, but Haru knew better. There was too much emotion attached, and if he let himself feel it all now...

he wasn't sure he could make the trip.

 

Instead, Haru focused on the sand, his eyes following the dips and curves of the dunes as he trudged on. He watched his feet break and create the small mounds, like waves in an unmoving sea.

 

_The sea..._

 

Haru sighed softly, pushing his feet down harder as he climbed a particularly steep dune. From the way things were going, he doubted he'd ever see it the way he wanted to again. Not if-

 

Haru's eyes widened, shimmering with excitement as they fell upon the pool before him. The light in his eyes swirled as he recognized his friends, truly there this time. Haru almost cried out with relief at the sight of water and familiar faces, but it was the fourth figure emerging from the glistening pool that stole his breath and left his jaw hanging open.

 

_Is it..._

_...really..._

 

Red hair flipped up as the muscled frame of someone he'd only seen in dreams for the past few years rose from the water. The barriers in Haru's mind deteriorated, every old memory flooding over him instantly. A familiar sharp-toothed grin flashed as a hand was flung out enthusiastically in welcome.

 

_Rin!_

 

 Haru bolted towards the water, his clothes slipping off him in a fluid movement that felt easier than breathing as he reached the water's edge and dove in. Haru and the water curled around each other, working together as his happiness pushed him forward. Rin laughed as Haru burst through the surface, splashing water in his face. The sun reflected brilliantly off of Rin's shoulders as he smiled, his cheeks a flushed a warm pink with excitement. Haru stood, looking Rin dead in the eyes with a cold glare as the laughter died down.

 

"What?" there was a smile in Rin's voice as he spoke, lightly touching Haru's waist as he spoke. "I told you we'd reunite one day."

 

A glint of extreme relief and happiness flashed in the deep blue of Haru's eyes for a moment before he grabbed Rin by the shoulders and pulled him down into a kiss. The two seemed to melt into each other at the contact, their friends laughing quietly and turning away. All the years of waiting, of separation, of water that felt good but so incredibly empty. All of it was worth it now that he had Rin.

 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope everything was fairly clear...? I know I can be kinda confusing sometimes with the way I write things, or I'll leave certain details out by accident- if you're confused at all, feel free (hehe) to ask.
> 
> Also I kinda based Rin's story/royalty explanation on Alibaba and Kougyoku's royalty in this story. He grew up in the slums/on the streets with the other boys until he was about 12, when someone from the palace came to claim him and raise him as his birthright to be prince. Maybe leaning more towards Alibaba's story though, like his father was on his deathbed and that's why he was needed... I dunno. I think it fits with Rin and your url pretty well hehe~
> 
> I'm so sorry if this seems rushed but I had a bit of writer's block and feel unsatisfied with the ending so... I'll probably go back and change it later. I'm really really sorry for not having it finished the way I wanted on time. Really really sorry. Sorry *backs away in shame*


End file.
